Medical treatment facilities generate a lot of disposable medical waste, for example sponges, gauze, drapes, bandages etc. and sharps of various types. Such waste is usually contaminated with the blood or body fluids of a patient, which biohazards can possibly expose medical staff or other patients to infectious diseases should they accidentally come into contact with the medical waste. Thus such medical waste requires special handling immediately following its generation and continuing through to its ultimate destruction.
Waste medical sharps may be disposed of separately to non-sharps medical waste into specially constructed containers, which allow ready disposal of a used sharps whilst also preventing hand access into the container. Other types of containers for medical waste more generally (that is for receiving all types of medical waste), are relatively large with large area openings for receiving bulky items (for example drapes or sheets). These types of containers are more suitable for quick disposal of medical waste virtually immediately upon its generation as waste. Thus in addition to being of relatively large size and with a large area opening, such containers ideally are floor positionable and readily maneuverable so as to be placeable conveniently near the medical waste generation site, which may for example be a hospital operating theatre. Also, ideally, the medical waste disposal system should be such as to minimally require hand contact with the containers thereof at least up until the containers, after having been filled with medical waste (filled is defined herein below), are sealed and locked. Handling of the containers prior to them being sealed and locked could potentially expose an individual to the contaminated waste.
The present invention seeks to provide medical waste containment apparatus that is improved compared to prior art apparatus at least in respect of minimising hand contact for setting up and filling a container for the medical waste.
The term “filled”, including “fill” and “filling”, throughout this specification is to be understood as meaning that a container contains some medical waste without the container necessarily being full or filled up with the medical waste.
The above Background discussion is included to explain the context of the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any of the documents or other material referred to was, in Australia, published, known or part of the common general knowledge at the priority date established by this application.